Lakers get first win of season with 107-92 victory over Hornets

Lakers 107, Charlotte Hornets 92

The Lakers ended their five-game losing streak to open the season by rolling to a 15-point win over Charlotte on Sunday night at Staples Center.

UPDATE: It’s no longer a zero-sum game as Lakers finally get first win

The Hornets led by as many as nine points as they dominated the entire first half, but the Lakers stormed back with a 34-13 third quarter to take control of the game.

The Hornets (3-4) threatened briefly in the fourth quarter, but never really threatened the lead of the Lakers, who had four days off to prepare for Sunday’s game.

Al Jefferson led all scorers with 23 points. The Hornets finished shooting 44.3% as a team and at just 21.4% from three-point range (3-14, missing all six attempts in the second half).

Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin were high scorers for the Lakers with 21 points apiece.

Carlos Boozer, who led the Lakers’ third-quarter surge with eight consecutive points, finished with 16.

Jordan Hill had 12 points and a career-high seven assists, tied for team lead with Jeremy Lin. Ed Davis scored 10 off the bench on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field.

The Lakers shot 51.2% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range (6 of 17).

Kemba Walker had 17 points for the Hornets, while Gary Neal scored 14 off the bench and starter Marvin Williams finished with 11.

The Lakers visit the Memphis Grizzlies (6-1) on Tuesday night. The Hornets travel to Portland to play the Trail Blazers (4-3), also on Tuesday.

Lakers 76, Hornets 64 (end of third quarter)

The Lakers finally broke through in the third quarter, taking a 12-point lead after trailing Charlotte for the entire first half.

Veteran forward Carlos Boozer scored eight consecutive points to put the Lakers up by a basket. Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant followed with back-to-back three-pointers.

Through three quarters, Bryant leads the Lakers with 19 points, followed by Lin (16) and Boozer (14). The team’s field-goal percentage has improved to 47.5% when outscoring the Hornets, 34-13.

Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker were the Hornets’ high scorers with 16 apiece. Charlotte has shot 31.8% from the field.

Both teams have nine turnovers.

Hornets 51, Lakers 42 (halftime)

The Lakers scored six consecutive points to close within a point of the Hornets, but Charlotte responded, pushing their lead back to nine by halftime.

Three Hornets have scored 11 points -- Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams, who didn’t miss any of his four shots, including three from behind the arc).

Kobe Bryant leads all scorers with 12 points, making four of seven attempts. The Lakers shot 39.5% from the field as a team, missing all eight three-point attempts.

The Hornets shot 46.9% from the field and 37.5% from long range (3 of 8).

Ed Davis and Wayne Ellington played well off the bench for the Lakers. Davis has four points and two rebounds in eight minutes; Ellington added six points and five rebounds in 10.

Hornets 25, Lakers 18 (end of the first quarter)

After leading by as many as nine points, the Hornets finished the first quarter up seven. The Lakers never led in the opening 12 minutes.

Al Jefferson leads all scorers with seven points as Charlotte shot 47.8% from the field.

The Lakers made 36.4% of their shots, with four players scoring four points apiece (Kobe Bryant, Jeremy Lin, Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer).

Pregame

The Lakers (0-5) return to the court after four days off, hosting the Charlotte Hornets (3-3) at Staples Center.

The last time center Al Jefferson played the Lakers in Los Angeles, he tallied 40 points with 18 rebounds.

Ryan Kelly is questionable (hamstring). The Lakers will play without Julius Randle (leg), Steve Nash (back) and Nick Young (thumb).

For an in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.